My Everything
by Eirian
Summary: Summary: The unimaginable has happened: Kikyo has stolen Inuyasha to hell, just as she'd promised. How will Kagome cope, and what does life have to offer her now? Read and find out!
1. Prologue

**Summary: The unimaginable has happened: Kikyo has stolen Inuyasha to hell, just as she'd promised. How will Kagome cope, and what does life have to offer her now? Read and find out!**

A/N: This isn't exactly AU, but... other than this first chapter, and flashbacks, everything will be happening in the Modern Era. No well-hopping. And (I'm trying not to give the story away), other than flashbacks, no Inuyasha. There is a boy who looks like him, though... But I'm a die-hard IY/K fan (when I'm not being an M/K fan...)& I'm also a hopeless romantic. So this _will_ have a happy ending... eventually. 

**My Everything: Prologue**

Kagome remembered when it seemed like she wanted nothing more than to go to school and do well, hang out with her friends, and maybe talk to that cute upperclassman, Hojo. She used to fantasize about just sitting in class, taking notes and understanding what the teacher was talking about, without having to worry about demons, Shikon no kakera, or Naraku. There's be no cursed monks or orphaned kitsunes and taijiyas, no dog-hanyous who stole her heart while lowering her self-esteem, and no clay bodies possessing part of her soul, feeding on young girls' souls to stay animated and making previously-mentioned dog-hanyou go stupid at the thought that she was near. Yes, Kagome used to wistfully remember likfe before she turned fifteen, the simpler times, when her only worries were homework and boys.

Now, it was all she could do not to commit homicide just to break up the monotony. How could she have thought she'd be able to stand the same life she'd had before, after the life she'd experienced with - with _him_.

It had been two months since the jewel had been completed. Two months since she'd returned to the modern era, alone and broken. And it was all because of that bitch, Kikyo.

Oh, she might not have originally been a bitch, or Kagome doubted _he_ would have fallen in love with her, but her clay reincarnation, fueled by anger and hate was most definitely a bitch. She'd played on his guilt at her death to get him to promise to let her drag him to hell. Then, once Naraku was defeated and the jewel whole again, she used his unfailing honor to make him keep his word. She'd taken the jewel, and she'd taken _him_, and she'd sunk them all down to hell. Only Kikyo really belonged there.

After they were gone, Sango had been the first to approach her, extending a hand as if to touch her shoulder. Not knowing what would happen if anyone tried to touch or comfort her in any way (and not really wanting to find out), she'd moved away and gone over to Kirara and said they should head back to Musashi village. She'd seen the looks bassing between Miroku and Sango - his concerned, saying _Why isn't she upset? Why's she acting normal?_ and Sango's warning, saying _Leave her alone; she'll deal with it how she wants._ But she'd ignored them both. She'd pretty much ignored Shippou too, who clung to her and refused to let go, as if she too would disappear. She hadn't told him to let go, but she hadn't hugged him back, either. She'd been numb, detached, denying that anything was wrong. They'd get back to Musashi, and she'd go back home. She always tried to go back home when they were in the village, with varying degrees of success, because of -.

When they'd arrived, they automatically went to Kaede's hut. Kagome hadn't thought about why, or what they would tell the old woman; it was just part of the routine, and routine seemed like a good thing at the moment. Going through familiar motions meant she didn't have to think about things, and not thinking was definitely a plus.

Kaede of course had known as soon as she saw them, Sango and Miroku sad and worried, Shippou upset and clingy, and Kagome herself strangely blank, that something was wrong. The first thing she'd said was, "Where is Inuyasha?"

Everyone had seemed to freeze, except Kagome. In a calm voice she'd said, "That bitch took him to hell, along with the Shikon no Tama. He's gone." And then she'd moved past Kaede and into the hut, where she began packing her bag. When Shippou asked, she'd told him calmly that she had to go homw. He'd thrown himself at her, wailing and crying that she couldn't leave him alone. She'd pulled him off and told him that she had to go home, she didn't belong in the past. She'd tried (though it was beyond her to try very hard) to calm him down and reassure him. Finally he'd cried himself to sleep, and Kagome (in an act of cowardice that disgusted herself) had snuck away while he rested. Even as she'd done it she'd been appalled, and had asked Sango to look after him.

"I'll try to come back," she'd whispered, while a part of her already knew that she wouldn't be able to get through anymore. "But if I can't, I don't want him to be all alone." _Like I am._

"Why don't you stay?" Sango'd asked. She also seemed to realize that Kagome wouldn't be able to come back.

"I... I can't." _I can't look at you and Miroku without feeling nauseous, or wanting to cry. I can't look at anything here and not _remember,_ and the last thing I want to do is remember. I want to forget, and I want to stop feeling._

Of course, she didn't say any of this. She just got her bag, suffered through Sango and Miroku's hugs (he didn't even try to grope her) and Kaede's knowing look, and headed off toward the well. She'd almost lost it when she saw the Goshinboku, with a notch in the wood and a large spot where the bark hadn't grown for some time, like something had been in its way...

She'd ran the rest of the way to the well, jumping in and not caring that the time slip might already be closed, that she might break something and lie hurt at the bottom. She really couldn't find it in herself to care...

But it had opened beneath her, accepting her passage one last time. She'd sat at the bottom of the well for a long time, eyes unfocussed and her mind a fuzzy blank. _What do I do now?_ The question kept repeating in her mind, but she couldn't figure out the answer. She couldn't even figure out what the question was referring to: now that she was home, or now that _he_ was...

At some point, she climbed out of the well. She couldn't remember moving, standing up, climbing out, or going to the house. But she remembered with crystal clarity the _shhhk!_ of the shoji as she pushed it open. Souta and Jiichan were watching television, and she told them, "I'm going up to my room." And then she did, not waiting to see if they wanted to talk to her. She went into her room, lay down on her bed, closed her eyes -

and saw Inuyasha, sound asleep on her bed, surrounded by her scent, secure in the knowledge that both she and himself were safe from harm.

Kagome's eyes snapped open as she bolted off the bed and ran out of the room. She reached the toilet just as her stomach decided to empty itself of everything she had no memory of eating. Her eyes watered as her throat burned, and it was just too much. Inuyasha was gone, never coming back. She'd never see him again. He'd never come jumping through her window, insisting they go back to the feudal era and hunt for jewel shards. He'd never give her another backhanded compliment, she'd never get to ride pick-a-back1 on him again, enjoying his speed and agility as he ran through the countryside. She'd never have the chance to help him learn how to relax, and not see everyone as a threat. She'd never get to hear him say "I love you." She'd never got to pet his ears again.

Kagome threw up once more.

Her mother, coming up the stairs to say hello, heard her wretching and rushed to the open bathroom door. "Kagome! Are you alright?" She knelt down and placed her hand over Kagome's forehead, checking her temperature. "You don't feel feverish," she'd murmured.

Kagome couldn't stand having her mother think it was a physical illness. "Inuyasha's gone." It was the first time she'd said his name since it had happened. Saying it, hearing it in her own voice, made it seem all the more real suddenly. By sheer force of will, she kept herself from wretching again.

Her mother grew still, and asked softly, carefully, "What do you mean, 'gone'?"

Kagome swallowed against the bile in her throat and said, "He got sucked into hell by That Bitch, Kikyo." She didn't care what her mother thought of her use of foul language; there was no better description for the once-again-dead miko.

Her mother nodded gently in understanding. "I see. When dinner's ready, would you like some? I know you probably don't want to eat anything, but I think you should try to keep your strength up."

_Why?_ Kagome nodded wearily, wondering if it would stay down for even an hour.

She went and sat in Souta's room until dinner, unable to go back into her own room. At one point he'd come in to do his homework. He'd taken one look at her - huddled on the floor, crammed into the corner between his wall and bed, legs drawn up like a small child hiding from monsters - shook his head, and went to his desk, ignoring her presence.

Dinner was a somber affair, Kagome's strange attitude putting everyone on edge. About halfway through, Souta had asked, "So, where's Inu-no-niichan?"

Kagome's hand stopped halfway to her mouth. She put down her chopsticks, murmured an 'excuse me please' and left the table. She went into Souta's room again, grabbing his pillow and laying down on the floor.

When Souta came back up to his room, it was obvious Mama had told him what had happened. "Um... sorry, Neechan. Are you gonna sleep in here?"

Kagome shrugged. Souta sighed and murmured, "I'll get a futon for ya."

So Kagome slept on a spare futon in Souta's room. The next day, Mama had woken Souta up for school, and Kagome had gotten ready as well. When Mama had asked if she was sure she wanted to go to school, Kagome had asked, "Why not?"

"Well, I just thought... you might not feel like going today. I could have Jiichan say you're still sick."

Kagome had stared at her mother flatly and said, "I'm going to school, Mama."

Unfortunately, once she got there, Kagome had realized that she really wasn't ready for school, because it meant seeing her well-meaning but annoying friends. They didn't usually annoy her, because she knew they _did_ mean well, but that day everything seemed to get on her nerves. She hadn't slept well the night before, waking up about every hour (but fortunately unable to remember any dreams she may have had), so no matter what she did, she still looked rundown and tired. Her friends immediately began worrying about her, asking if she really felt well enough to be in school today. Finally, she'd said quietly, "Please, just... leave me alone. I couldn't stand being at home another day, that's why I'm here."

And it had been true. She just couldn't bear the thought of being alone in the house all day, with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company. Her thoughts, and her memories. No, even her annoying but well-meaning friends were better than that.

Of course, then break came, and Kagome began to reconsider her assessment. Because Hojo had shown up, and her well-meaning but exceedingly-annoying friends immediately called him over, and began trying to get her to go out with him. She'd sat at her desk, while the other four had stood around her, talking over her head, speaking on her behalf, as if they knew exactly what she wanted. She listened as the girls spoke to Hojo about how she just couldn't stand to stay home one more day, even though she still wasn't feeling her best, and Hojo exclaiming that if she wasn't feeling well, perhaps she ought to go home early, even if she wanted to be in school. It was quite commendable of her to come when she still wasn't feeling her best, though. (At least Hojo was actually speaking to her, even though it was Yuka, Eri or Ayumi who answered him.)

Then, Yuka suggested that if she were feeling alright by the weekend, maybe she wouldn't mind going to a movie with Hojo. Of course, the boy had thought that a wonderful idea, as long as she was sure she was up to it (which of course, she most definitely wasn't). As they began discussing which movies were playing, and where to eat beforehand, Kagome began getting hot. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and her fingers began sweating. There was a rushing in her ears, and finally, when it all got to be too much, she'd said quietly, "Enough."

But no one seemed to have heard her. "Stop," she'd tried again. When that hadn't worked, she'd snapped and yelled "Shut up!"

Everyone in the room went silent as they looked at her, but Kagome was beyond caring. She looked at Hojo and said evenly, "Hojo-kun, I'm sorry to be blunt, but I won't be going on a date with you. You're a wonderful boy, but I just... I just can't. Please forgive me, if you thought otherwise." Of course, it wasn't her fault that he _did_ think otherwise, but she'd been raised a polite girl, and she was falling back on old habits.

Hojo had been exceedingly understanding, but once he'd left, her three "friends" turned on her, looking for answers.

"Kagome-chan!" Yuka had cried. "What are you doing! Hojo's a great guy! _Everyone_ wants to go out with him, but he only wants to go out with _you_!"

"Maybe it's because she already has a boyfriend," Ayumi speculated. Ayumi seemed to be the only one to remember about her "boyfriend" most of the time.

Eri snorted. "That two-timer? Why would she want to go out with him, when she could have Hojo-kun?"

"I'm not going out with anyone," Kagome interjected, sick of her friends speaking about her as if she weren't there.

Yuka turned to look at her and asked, "So, you dumped that jerk boyfriend? Or... did he dump you?" She sounded concerned as she asked the last question.

"No. He... he died." Which was true, as far as that. He'd been sucked into hell, and she didn't suppose you could survive something like that.

"Oh... Kagome..." Ayumi had promptly sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her before Kagome could stop her. Kagome had looked at Ayumi's sincerely concerned face... and promptly burst into tears.

If she hadn't been so overwhelmed by the emotions she'd been blocking out for the twenty-four hours, she would have been mortified that she was crying in the middle of the classroom. Fortunately, she had three well-meaning friends there to take care of her. They'd ushered Kagome out of the room, surrounding her and blocking people's curious gazes with their bodies, forming a human shield of privacy for her. They took her to the nurse's office, and Ayumi called her mother.

Mama arrived less than ten minutes later, rushing into the nurse's station and searching worriedly for her daughter. Classes had already started by that time, so Kagome was alone on the couch. She was still crying, but only now and then breaking out into full-blown sobs. Mama had sighed, sitting down beside her and gathering her up into a tight hug.

Kagome clung to her, burying her face into her mother's shoulder and crying. It felt good to be held, to know that someone cared about her. But she'd wished Inuyasha was there. He never knew what to do when she cried, but his awkward pats on the back and mumbled, "Stop cryin' would ya?" always made her feel better, because she knew it upset him to see her cry. These thoughts only made her cry harder, and Mama began to rock her slightly from side to side, making 'shhh'ing sounds.

Once she'd stopped sobbing, and had gotten herself even marginally under control, her mother had ushered her out of the school. Mama had taken the subway to get there, but under the circumstances, she thought it would be better to walk home than be packed into a subway car. Mama kept an arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close to her side.

When they got back to the shrine, Mama began to take her upstairs, but Kagome shook her head and stopped walking. "I- I can't." There was no way she would be able to go in her room again this soon.

Mama had nodded, and led her over to the couch in the living room. A few moments later, she brought Kagome a cup of tea.

Now that she'd stopped crying, she felt empty. As if all the emotions she'd held inside had been holding her up, and now that she'd cried them out, she was drained, deflated. She was broken.

After that, Kagome had closed in on herself. She'd gone back to school the next day, and other than avoiding the subject of boys, her friends acted normal around her, or tried to. But she just couldn't tolerate being in their presence for long durations now. She loved her friends, but she just wasn't the same girl anymore, and she could never go back to being that girl again. It seemed as if that girl had gotten sucked into hell along with Inuyasha.

Kagome sighed now, turning her wandering attention back to the teacher. School was so boring for her now. What did she care about quadratic formulas and Newton's Hypoteneuse? She didn't. It wouldn't save her life, and it wouldn't bring _him_ back, so there was absolutely no point to it. Kagome looked down at her notebook and began doodling in it.

Absolutely no point whatsoever. To any of it.

* * *

1pick-a-back: I'm reading a book about a Japanese family, and the author says this instead of piggy-back. I just enjoyed the sound of it& also thought that perhaps they say pick-a-back instead of piggy-back in Japan. 


	2. Chapter 1

"What's the point?" Kenshiro said through the bathroom door. "You're still gonna be as ugly as you always are."

"Shut up, runt."

Kenshiro narrowed his eyes at the wooden door and returned, "Just because I'm not a gargantuan freak like you doesn't mean I'm a runt. Guys like girls to be petite and curvy, not big, ungainly and-"

The door swung open with a _whoosh!_ of hot air, and a tall girl with black hair in a ponytail stood in the doorway, glaring death at him. "Finish that sentence, and you won't have to worry about your size, 'cause you'll be FLATTENED!"

Kenshiro rolled his eyes. "Could ya just hurry up Sakura? _Some_ of us have to use the bathroom for what it's actually for."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "You took a bath last night."

Kenshiro gave her a deadpan look and said flatly, "I gotta pee."

It was Sakura's turn to roll her eyes. She let go of the door and moved back in front of the bathroom mirror to continue applying her make-up, leaving the door open. "Go ahead."

Kenshiro's face flushed and he said, "Not with _you_ in here!"

Sakura tossed a glance at him over her shoulder. "Touto, you're the only boy I know of who's embarrassed to pee around other people."1

Now Kenshiro flushed with more than just embarrassment. "Shut up and just get out!"

Sakura finished applying her eyeshadow and, with a chuckle and a pat on his head (which Kenshiro batted at her for), she exited the bathroom. As she continued to leave, Kenshiro called his parting shot, "And don't call me 'Touto!" His sister just laughed.

Muttering about 'stupid, oversized-freak' sisters, Kenshiro went about his business. He couldn't understand how Sakura could take everything in stride. He was a nervous wreck, barely sleeping an hour at a time before snapping awake. When he slept long enough to dream, it was always the usual strange dreams that had plagued him for as long as he could remember. They'd become less frequent while they lived in Kyoto, but now that they'd moved back to Tokyo, they'd become much more frequent, as well as more vivid. They'd only been back for five days, but already he was getting used to the dreams again.

Now that they were fairly moved in (his room was still piled with boxes, and every now and then someone had to hunt through all the remaining boxes to find something, but the furniture and most of the decorations were in their places), Sakura and he were getting ready for their first day of school. And despite the nervous jitters at the mere thought of going to a completely new school, Kenshiro was excited as well. It was true that he was a rather solitary boy, liking to keep to himself and he wasn't much of one for idle talk, but that didn't mean that he didn't enjoy being _around_ other people, if just for the background noise.

His family had moved from Tokyo to Kyoto when he'd been seven, to live with his grandmother after his grandfather had died. The elderly couple had had a rather spacious house, built on what had been the outskirts of the metropolis at the time. Kyoto had grown to engulf the house, but it continued to sit on its lot, surrounded by apartment complexes and shopping stores. It had made more sense to move in with Baachan in the house, than have her move in with them, when their apartment at the time had barely been able to hold the four family members.

Baachan had died in her sleep just over two months ago, and after the funeral his mother hadn't wanted to stay in the house, with all the memories of her parents. So they'd come back to Tokyo, moved into a new apartment, and now he and Sakura would be started school again. They weren't in the same area as where they'd lived before, so anyone he'd known in elementary school wouldn't be in this school district, and no one at his new school would know anything about him. It was sort of refreshing.

Unfortunately, Sakura would be there as well. He shuddered to think about the rumors she could spread about him before the day was over. The girl had a disgusting habit of making friends as soon as she opened her mouth. She was quite the social butterfly. Everyone marveled at how different their personalities were. Neither one of them ever mentioned the fact that Sakura was really only his half-sister. It was a guarded secret they shared with very few people that Sakura's father had been a gaijin, an Englishman who'd left their mother high and dry when he found out she was pregnant. Kenshiro's father had been in love with her since they'd been in school together, and had offered to make her an "honest woman" by marrying her, and even helping her take care of the baby. Two years later, he'd been born.

He and his sister had always had a love/hate relationship, with emphasis on the hate, but when their parents had explained to her that Tousan wasn't her real father, it had made her very insecure. He had always teased her about her physical appearance, but he never once used her lineage as fodder. As far as he was concerned, she was his full sister, blood be damned; she sure got on his nerves full-time. And because she always teased him about being slightly small for his age (only _slightly_, but that never stopped her), he always teased her for being so tall, almost a head taller than their father, who stood at 5'2".

"Ken-chan! Sakura-chan! You need to get going or you'll be late!" His mother's voice brought Kenshiro out of his musings, and he hurried to finish getting dressed.

"Let's go, Touto!"

"Stop calling me that!" Kenshiro griped. he exited his room, just finishing buttoning his school blazer. Taking his obento box from his mother, he said, "Don't forget to pick up my new uniform please, Kaasan."

"I'll remember, Kenshiro. I love you." She kissed his cheek. Kenshiro made the face of every boy being kissed by his mother. "Kaasan!"

Once out the door, Sakura immediately began teasing him. "You know it's 'cause you're such a runt that they didn't have a uniform in stock that fit you."

"Yeah?" Kenshiro pointedly looked at Sakura's long legs, exposed under the _very_ short skirt. "I bet that was the largest girl's uniform they had, and on all the other girls it falls below the knee."

Sakura swiped her school satchel at him, but Kenshiro easily dodged her. "It's gonna put everyone off their lunches if they have to look at your fat legs all morn - ack!" Kenshiro took off running before Sakura could make another grab at his blazer.

Just another ordinary day for the Nishino siblings.

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce to you Nishino Kenshiro. Nishino-san, why don't you take the empty seat beside Hamasaki-san."

Blushing, Eri raised her hand so he knew where to go. The seat beside her was also the one directly in front of Kagome. Kagome stared at the new boy. He was perhaps an inch taller than herself, with short hair sticking up in thick, stiff spikes. But one reason she stared was because he had followed the trendy boys' fashion of bleaching his naturally black hair to make it grey. However, he'd used too much bleach, making it an almost-white color. The other reason she was staring was the fact that instead of wearing the traditional black boys' uniform, he was wearing a red one.

Looking up when he stopped at his desk, Kagome realized he'd caught her staring at him. Knowing there was nothing else she could do, Kagome nodded in greeting.

Kenshiro nodded back and said, "Yo," then took his seat in front of her.

Kagome sat frozen as class started. That was how Inuyasha always greeted her.

_Don't be stupid, Kagome,_ she berated herself later in class. _Boys say 'yo' all the time. It means they're either lazy or impolite, nothing more._

But, hadn't his voice sounded just like Inuyasha's as well?

_Don't be stupid,_ she repeated to herself. _You may be going crazy, but you don't have to let everyone else know it._ So, she went to work on her English workbook, even though she was sure she was doing it wrong. It was better than staring at the grey-haired boy in the red outfit in front of her.

At break, of course Ayumi and Yuka came over to speak to Eri - and introduce themselves to Nishino-san.

"Oh, uh, you can call me Kenshiro," he'd said, obviously uneasy at all the female attention.

"So, Kenshiro-kun," Yuka said, "Where'd you move from?"

"Kyoto."

"Wow," Eri murmured. "Do you like it in Tokyo?"

Kenshiro shrugged. "We used to live here, 'til I was seven. Just a different district, that's all."

"So, do you have a girlfriend?" Yuka asked. For some reason, Kagome found herself glancing up to see his reaction and hear his reply.

Kenshiro blushed. Damn, this girl was direct, wasn't she? Movement made him look around-

And he saw the girl seated behind him was listening as well. He was looking at her when he answered, "No, I don't." Realizing they might be encouraged by this, he went on, "I'm just not interested in having a girlfriend right now."

He saw the significant looks the three girls shared, and found himself blushing again. "Oi! I'm not like _that!_ Girlfriends are just too much bother."

Yuka gasped at that. "What do you mean, 'too much bother'?"

Kenshiro gave her a flat look and said, "I have an older sister, and I know exactly what she's like. Girlfriends are too much bother."

"You can't base every girl on what your sister is like." Everyone was surprised to hear Kagome speaking, even Kagome herself.

Kenshiro looked at her for a long moment, then asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

The other three girls' eyes widened, and Ayumi gave a muffled gasp. Kagome's eyes went flat as she said simply, "No."

She ignored the four after that, turning back to her homework. It was just a stupid question, she didn't understand why it had upset her so much. The guy didn't even know her, how could he have known what a sensitive subject he'd hit upon? Kagome sighed, doodling in the margin of her workbook.

Kenshiro couldn't help but fidget as class started again. What did he care about the weird girl behind him? Kagome, was her name? He knew he'd hit a nerve with his earlier question - that had been his intention, after all - but he got the distinct impression that he'd hit a far bigger nerve than he'd meant to. While he was always pissing females off (with the female quite often being Sakura), he didn't like truly upsetting them. If he'd known her better, or even if he'd known the full extent of his infraction, he would have apologized. But since they'd been sitting right next to her, her friends couldn't tell him what was wrong, even if they'd been inclined to.

So instead, he just sat silently in front of her, halfheartedly taking notes and trying to ignore his niggling conscience.

It had been a long, trying day, and all Kagome wanted to do was to go home, curl up on the couch and veg out watching television. She packed her books into her school satchel and left the room before her friends could delay her. She continued to discreetly hurry out of the building; since she'd blatantly refused to go out with Hojo, he'd tended to keep his distance from her, though he still considered her a friend, and sometimes stopped to ask how she was feeling. But no one stopped her, and the further she got from the school, the more she relaxed.

"Hey, Kagome! Oi, wait up!"

Kagome paused, gritting her teeth and cursing in her head. What the hell did he want? Giving a small shake of her head, she continued walking. If he wanted to talk to her, he could bloody well catch up with her. Hopefully though, he wouldn't want to go to so much trouble.

No such luck, however. Kenshiro came jogging up beside her. "I asked you to wait for me," he said, sounding a little peeved.

Kagome ignored his gripe, instead asking him, "Why aren't you wearing one of our school uniforms?"

Kenshiro shrugged and answered, "My mother's picking one up today for me. They didn't have one in my size in stock, so I had to wear my old one. Why?" It was such a strange question; what did she care what uniform he wore, unless she was one of those sticklers for being part of the group, uniformity and conformity and all that.

Kagome shrugged. "Red's not really your color." This, of course, was a complete lie; it bothered her for reasons she'd rather not think about to see this boy wearing a red blazer and red pants. She wasn't sure which was more disconcerting, that he had grey hair to make him look even more like Inuyasha, or that his uniform looked wrong on him because it didn't have the billowing sleeves and legs of the old fashioned haori and hakama. He looked just enough like the hanyou to make her upset, and just wrong enough to make her even more upset. The boy just bothered her.

They walked in silence for a few moments, Kagome doing her best to just ignore him. And then finally -

"'M sorry."

Kagome whipped her head around to stare at him incredulously. "Excuse me?" she asked faintly. Was it so obvious that his presence bothered her? Had one of her friends told him about Inuyasha, what he looked like perhaps?

Kenshiro shrugged. "I said I'm sorry." He sighed heavily. "I'm not sure what it was or why, but something I said upset you during break. I didn't mean to, and I'm sorry that I did."

Kagome was speechless. He didn't even know what he'd done wrong, but he was apologizing to her. _How could I have thought he was like Inuyasha? He would never have apologized outright, even if he _had_ known what he'd done._ "Oh. Um..." She tried to think of something to say to him. "Well, you're forgiven. You don't know me, so of course you wouldn't know what would upset me."

Kenshiro shrugged again. "Still, I should have been more polite."

Looking over at him, scuffing his feet as he walked, hands clasped behind his back with his shoulders hunched, and his lips pursed out, Kagome couldn't help but be amuzed. He obviously wasn't any more comfortable apologizing than Inuyasha had been-

_Stop that! He's not Inuyasha,_ she admonished herself harshly. _Inuyasha's **dead.** You'll never see him again. Get used to it._ It had been a while since she'd had to berate herself for being reminded of the hanyou. It had to be because Kenshiro looked so much like him, she reasoned. This didn't make her feel any better, however.

Her good mood completely vanished now, Kagome decided to just ignore Nishino-san. Hopefully he'd take the hint and leave her alone. Or more likely, he'd just get bored. As long as he left, she didn't care.

Ten minutes later, and Kenshiro didn't seem to have any intention of going away. Kagome was getting fed up. Finally, she heaved a sigh and asked, "Don't you have to go home?"

Kenshiro looked over at her and flashed her a smirk. "Trying to get rid of me? For your information, I _am_ going home. I live in the apartment complex just past the Higurashi shinto shrine."

Kagome came to a dead stop, staring at him. He took a few more steps before realizing she wasn't still with him. He stopped and turned to look back at her. "You... you live by the shrine?" she asked faintly.

Kenshiro nodded. "Yeah, you know it?"

Kagome stared at him for a long moment, debating what to tell him. She _really_ didn't want him to know where she lived, but she supposed she had to tell him. For one thing, eventually, he would learn her last name, and there weren't any other Higurashis in this school district. More directly, if he was determined to walk home beside her (as he seemed to be doing), she would have to go up the shrine steps with him _right there._ Even Hojo wasn't that oblivious. And this guy didn't strike her as the oblivious type, anyway. Sighing, she answered, "Yes, I know it. I'm Higurashi Kagome. My family lives at the shrine." So long as he didn't begin stalking her, she couldn't exactly see the harm in telling him (other than the fact that she didn't want him to know anything personal about her, for some reason.)

Kenshiro blinked, nonplussed. "Oh. So... what's that like?" At her confused look, he clarified, "Living at a shrine. That's gotta be different."

Kagome shrugged as they resumed walking. "Not that different, really. Jiichan takes care of the shrine and the grounds, and any visitors who are interested in the old legends of the place."

Kenshiro nodded. "That's cool. I gotta admit, I don't observe as many of the rituals as I probably should, but when I saw the shrine after we moved, I thought I oughtta start using it, since it's right there anyway."

There went her hopes that he wouldn't start stalking her. _It's not enough I have to see him every day at school,_ Kagome thought, _now he's gonna be showing up at the shrine._ Though, being raised at the shrine, she sort of took it for granted. If she wanted to pray to her ancestors or ask for their blessing, she just crossed the courtyard. A lot of people had little shrines in their home, but it wasn't the same atmosphere as one got at the shrine. Kagome resigned herself to the fact that she would be seeing Kenshiro quite often.

When they reached the shrine steps, Kenshiro bid her goodbye and watched her jaunt up the steep stairs. He stayed there for a few moments, just looking up at the gate. He'd been serious when he said he'd visit, but not completely truthful about his reasoning. Oh, he'd been neglectful in his faith, sure, but it was more than that. As soon as he'd seen the quaint little shrine grounds, he'd felt a pull to it, as if it were calling him. Something about the area stirred something inside him. It was a bit like how he felt upon waking from one of his dreams, as he tried to grasp at the elusive images and feelings that had been evoked.

His eyes wandered over to look at the tall, ancient oak tree on the grounds. Yes. The place called to him.

* * *

1: Okay, first of all, Touto is a version of "otouto", the Japanese word for 'little brother'. Like shortening 'okaasan' to 'kaasan', it just makes it more intimate, but in this case, Sakura is using it to emphasize "_little_ brother", to piss Kenshiro off. I use the Japanese words for family in this, but otouto is one of the less-familiar ones in fanfiction, so I felt I should give an explanation.

Please tell me what you think! I'd really like some feedback on this story.


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